Lot 2030
Vivian Maier (American, 1926-2009), Cowboy in the Sun
Lot Details & Additional Photographs
Image size 13 1/2 x 10 5/8 in.; Sheet size 14 x 11 in.
Cowboy in the Sun is a particularly scarce and important example of Vivian Maier's large-format work. Fewer than 300 exhibition-sized prints are believed to survive, making them among the rarest manifestations of her photographic legacy. Unlike the vast majority of Maier's images, which remained in negative form during her lifetime, these images were printed by her and therefore offer direct insight into how she selected, enlarged, and presented her photographs.
Maier is now recognized as one of the most accomplished street photographers of the twentieth century. Born in New York City and spending part of her childhood in France, she returned to the United States in the 1950s and spent much of her life working as a nanny in Chicago. During her free time, she documented everyday urban life, producing more than 150,000 photographs of people, animals, architecture, and city streets, primarily in Chicago and New York. Working mainly with a Rolleiflex camera, she developed a distinctive style characterized by candid, perceptive, and often deeply personal observations. Although she kept her work largely private, her archive was discovered in 2007 when her negatives were purchased at a storage auction by John Maloof, whose efforts to preserve and share her photographs brought them to international attention. Since then, Maier's work has been exhibited around the world and celebrated in publications and the Academy Award-nominated documentary Finding Vivian Maier (2013).
Overall good condition; some age-expected spots and creases.
